M-E-R-R-Y Christmas!

This Christmas is really and unexpectedly MERRY! I got great gifts, saw great friends and heard great news…Haha, here I am to count all those merriness with a grateful heart.

Christmas Eve on Shamian

So this year is actually my first time to attend the Christmas Eve Service in Shamian Church. I used to avoid that before cos church was always packed that day. But since I got some precious girls going, I decided to fight for a seat this year. I arrived 45 minutes before the service and the ushers were already blocking people from entering for the church was way packed. So I kinda sneaked in with the assurance that Jade had already saved me a seat. (Thanks,sis!) The service started at 7 and it was AMAZING from the beginning to the end! Choir, solos, story telling, sharing, brief sermon…all combined together in a beautifully decorated church where warmth and joy mellowed and overflowed. Aww…and all those praises and worship were given to the Holy One – Jesus Christ! After the service, policemen had to help keep the order outside of church for people were still trying to flood in. The night time on Shamian Island was pretty charming, except that it was way too crowded that night. (I wish all people would know the true meaning of Christmas.)

I’ve posted a photo album on facebook so that you may see more of what the church and service were like. If you still aren’t on facebook, you really should get on!

A Talk with Amber!
I think the greatest gift I got for this Christmas was a long talk with Amber on phone!! She got me an international phone card this summer so that I could call her. It was so refreshing to hear her sweet voice!!! We were both excited...

Magan and Adam Got Engaged!
This is the greatest news of the year!! I am sooo excited for them. I am trying every effort to go to America to attend their wedding. Pray that everything would work out.

Passion Worship Coming to HK
Yeah…there will be no Passion Worship events in Atlanta or LA or anywhere in the States in 2008, cos they will be touring the world. AND they are coming to Hong Kong in October!! I hope I will get to experience it. More infor will be launched out on their website later in January. Get pumped, people!

Chao Visiting Guangzhou



Chao came back to China to see his family for the first time in a year and a half after he has been to LSU. I was happy to finally meet him. He came all the way from Hunan province to visit Guangzhou yesterday. I met up with him at the train station and showed him around Shamian. We had a great time talking and visiting. He told me what life of Chinese students was like at LSU and I told him what being a Christian was like in China. Oh, and he got me a whole box of Ferrero chocolates! So happy! Thanks, bro! :)

Zhang Xue You Concert
Here he comes – Zhang Xue You, the greatest singer! He is having two concerts in Tianhe Sport Stadium both last night and tonight to conclude his 2007 world concert tour. I am glad he selected Guangzhou as the final spot. Tickets were usually sold out a month before his every concert wherever he went. So I was lucky to get a ticket for tonight, although it was expensive. Can’t wait!!

I’d like conclude this long post with a link to my favourite Christmas song of this year by Zhang Xue You. It’s called Lost Christmas. I think you will find a peace in it. Enjoy!

http://video.baidu.com/p?word=lost%20christmas&pos=1&s=1

¡Quiero estudiar mas español!

Hace cuatro meses que estudiar el español. Para mi, el español esta cada vez mas interesante y lo me gusta mucho. Lo aprendo tranbjando y con mucho entusiasmo. Me levanto muy temprano todas las mañanas porque quiero leer mi libro de español antes de mis clases.¡Que contento estoy que puedo hablar español! Claro, ahora lo hablo solo un poco, pero yo estudiare mas en futuro. Deseo hablar español tan bien como los españoles.

Ademas de el idioma de español, me gusta mucho la cultura de España. Las canciones, los bailes de flamenco, los edificios, las comidas, la gente y el futbol – todos son fabulosos. He visto unas programas sobre Madrid y Bacelona por la television. ¡Que bonitos son esas ciudades! A lo mejor yo ire a España un dia para viaje o trabajo. ¡Quien sabe! Jajajaja... :)

Oye, mi compañero me ha dicho que hay una pragrama de Hong Kong Radio. La programa llama “Ole,Ole,Spain” y ensaña español. Estoy la escuchando ahora y me la gusta mucho.

Chicken Rice,please!

The other day, my roommate shared an interesting story with me and I translated it as follows:

My name is Ming. The first time I went out to eat in a restaurant, I looked at the menu and ordered BBQ Pork Rice. It tasted good-the meat was crispy outside and soft inside, together with the honey sauce, my taste buds told me they had the best experience ever. Since then, I would order BBQ Pork Rice every time no matter which restaurant I went to.

(Restaurant A) Ming: May I have BBQ Pork Rice?
(Restaurant B) Ming: I want BBQ Pork Rice!
(Restaurant C) Ming: Waiter, BBQ Pork Rice, please!
(Restaurant D) Ming: Waiter…
Waiter: BBQ Pork Rice!! I got it!

Surprisingly, BBQ Pork Rice tasted good everywhere! One day, I traveled to another city and went into a restaurant at noon. I searched through the menu but Alas, NO BBQ Pork Rice. What am I gonna eat?! I started to panic as the waiter approached me. I frowned and flipped the menu hectically at a light-year speed. Reading my face, the waiter suggested, “Chicken Rice is good. TRY it!” “Ok,” I replied. Then the Chicken Rice was brought before me. Feeling like a guinea pig, I took the first mouthful, then I took another, and another and another…until the plate was shiny clean. Gee…Chicken Rice tasted GOOD! For the first time, I realized that besides BBQ Pork Rice there was something else that was awesome too.

I went to restaurant D again.
Ming: Waiter, I want Chicken Rice!
Waiter: What?!
Ming: CHIC-KEN Rice, please!

Later, I even realized that there were actually many different kinds of rice that were amazingly delicious- Steak Rice, Roasted Duck Rice, Roasted Goose Rice, Minced Beef Rice…just to name a few. The question is: _WHY_ was I so afraid of making changes and trying new things? After all, if Chicken Rice didn’t turn out to be good, I could still order BBQ Pork Rice next time. Life should be full of new tries so as to be colorful.

I can really resonate with this story. We all have times in our lives when we are with an one-side mind and just cling to the good-old things in the name of safety while missing something else, something new, something creative and something of vitality. They can be good too. Hey, friends!
Let’s order Chicken Rice this time!